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Crystal Watanabe – Pikko’s House

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Crystal is an independent editor for indie authors from Pikko’s House. Co-founder of The Association of Independent Publishing Professionals. Food blogger and author of yum-yum bento. Born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii.

WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?

I was working as a fiscal officer at the local university when I did a beta reading for Hugh Howey. After he got my feedback, he told me I should offer editing to people, and that people asked him about editors all the time. I didn’t start my business until much later, but he sparked the idea, and it’s been a wild ride ever since.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

I’m a mother of three kids, so my first order of business is to get them off to school. Before that, though, I wake up just before six, check emails on my phone before the rest of the family wakes up, do some beta reading over breakfast. When I get home, I try to use my morning to get the bulk of my editing done because my afternoon tends to be broken up by school pickup and other things. I put in more editing time after dinner, then after around 8:30 when the bedtime routine starts, I switch to beta reading, which I can do anywhere since I do it on my Kindle. Nighttime is also when I work on admin things, social media, brainstorming, and doing side projects.

WHAT’S YOUR WORK SETUP LOOK LIKE?

I work on a desktop computer, but I use my phone to communicate with people online, check website stats, and check on Facebook groups. I use a variety of services to run my business, including WordPress, FreshBooks, 17Hats, Google Docs, Asana,

WHAT DO YOU DO OR GO TO GET INSPIRED?

Nothing inspires me more than a good manuscript.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?

I’ve been a fan of Game of Thrones since the 90s, and I still consider that my favorite fantasy series. When it comes to science fiction, it’s Ender’s Game.

WHAT IS THE PASSIONATE PROBLEM YOU ARE TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?

I’m working on launching a little webcomic for my Instagram account. It’s something fun to do on the side that keeps me enjoying the work I do.

IS THERE A PRODUCT, SOLUTION, OR TOOL THAT YOU THINK IS A GOOD MATCH FOR YOUR DIGITAL PUBLISHING EFFORTS?

I complain about it a lot, but Microsoft Word is the only program I’ll edit in.

ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS JUST STARTING OUT?

For my fellow editors just starting out: make editor friends! It helps a lot to have people to talk to. Join Facebook groups, join professional associations (like mine, the Association of Independent Publishing Professionals), and just talk to people.

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State of Digital Publishing is an online publication and community; providing resources, perspectives, collaboration, and news for digital media and publishing professionals in new media and technology. Our aim is to help industry professionals get more time back to work on what really matters – monetizing content and growing reader relationships.